With the offseason brewing to be one of the most eventful yet for the Indiana Pacers factoring in another disappointing season, it would be valid to presume that the team will finally be one of the teams on the forefront of the market transactions, be it in free agency, or in trades.
That being said, they are far from being the lone miserable team out there. The 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers, composed of allegedly the “greatest collection of basketball talents assembled in history” (Pelinka, 2021), have made a compelling case as one of, if not the most disappointing single-season team in NBA history after missing the postseason in its entirety.
The Indiana Pacers could benefit from a trade with the reeling Lakers
While the Lakers are financially hobbled to make a reasonable deal that can swing the fences for them in the offseason, they still have some assets that they could dangle to kickstart discussions. And the Pacers would be smart to at least consider buying into their looming fire sale.
Beware though: as typical of Lakers fans this time of the year, expect a barrage of one-sided trade ideas in their favor to fill your timelines, especially with their roster being too top-heavy in the salary department, giving them little to no wiggle room to make the proverbial splash.
Thus, upon a closer look into their payroll, here is one trade that the Pacers could consider with the Lakers that actually makes sense that could very well give them another piece for the future alongside the likes of Tyrese Haliburton and Chris Duarte.
The Indiana Pacers could target LAL’s Talen Horton-Tucker in exchange for TJ McConnell
In this trade, the Indiana Pacers acquire guard guard Talen Horton-Tucker from the Los Angeles Lakers for guard TJ McConnell and the 2022 second-round pick via Houston that they acquired from their earlier trade with the Cavaliers.
THT has had a rough season after signing his contract extension in the last summer, having logged 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on subpar 42.2 percent shooting from the floor, including just 27.4 percent on threes. As the Lakers juggled between lineups due to injury and poor roster construction, the 21-year-old never really seemed to get any semblance of rhythm in his third season in the league.
On the other hand, McConnell has been forgettable for the most part this season. While his production remained solid early in the season, he only mustered 25 games in total before a wrist injury eventually sidelined him for the rest of the season. In his third year donning the blue and gold, he averaged 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. So how does this deal benefit both teams?
Why should the Indiana Pacers trade for THT?
As the Indiana Pacers trek through the rough patches of a rebuild (or retool, whatever), they can afford to make some gambles to search for prospects who can add another layer to the team’s ceiling. One of those “gambles” is Talen Horton-Tucker, who has simply been a big misfit given the Lakers’ personnel.
Subject to the bright lights of LA, THT’s value has been perhaps overstated, but his upside, while not worth keeping in reserve instead of trading for, ahem, Kyle Lowry, is legit. He is a weak perimeter threat this season, but the catalog of his game is largely predicated on him taking it to the rack and serving as a release valve for the offense anyway. Still, unlike veteran commodities, he still has ample room to develop his weak points, and LA, given their personnel and direction, is simply not a conducive environment to hone his strengths and flaws.
While THT’s off-ball defense can be hit-and-miss, he is actually one of the Lakers’ strongest on-ball defenders, using his bulk to cover more ground than usual against both guards and small forwards. Better yet, he perfectly fits Indiana’s timeline, serving as an ideal complement to the likes of Haliburton and Duarte who prefer operating on the perimeter.
In exchange, the Pacers part ways with TJ McConnell who, despite being a positive presence on and off the court for Indiana since foraying into the Circle City, now has a dangling and undefined role amidst the team’s addition of Haliburton and their pivot to youth movement. He’s coming off an injury, trimming Indy’s leverage, justifying the need for a sweetener in the form of draft compensation to entice the lakers given their dearth of draft assets.
Why should the Lakers trade for McConnell?
First, the Lakers don’t have ample roster control over THT. Even if they successfully bank on him to bounce back next season, he can simply opt out of his current deal, and the limited Purple and Gold, with their bulky payroll, are unlikely to be able to keep him on a richer deal. Hence, trading for someone like McConnell is a practical choice for them financially.
However, beyond the money talk, McConnell figures to be a good fit in LA. His three-point shot is next to nothing, but he is essentially the Lakers’ playbook embodied. He is a wonderful orchestrator in fast break opportunities who blends well with LAL’s penchant for such. With them struggling gravely on defense, TJM should also patch some holes, as he is a very sneaky defender who can slow down guards and fit well in team concepts.
And if you’re debunking this on the grounds of Russell Westbrook and his sheer presence negating the need for him, no. McConnell is deadly on the mid-range, unlike Russ who has fallen off a cliff in nearly all shooting areas.
Also, the Lakers could feel incentivized to get a high second-rounder, as they simply have exhausted virtually all their draft assets as they built their uber-expensive roster.